Vishnu- God of Life

Who is Vishnu?

  • Vishnu is known as ten avatars (he is a dashavatar) that appears when the world is out of balance

  • He always is depicted as having cool skin

  • Represents the protector, preserver, and guardian of the world

  • Believed to sleep in a cosmic ocean of milk and sleeps on a serpent called Anantha-Sesha.

  • Their eagle is named Garuda and is his vehicle of transport (vahana)

  • Considered the greatest god because he conquers with goodness, generosity, and, righteousness

What is Vishnu holding?

  • Lotus Flower- symbolizes spiritual awakening and purity

  • Chakra- a spinning disk that represents the spinning universe

  • Conk Shell- Representative of where life began and the first sound of the universe (“om”)

  • Club-Like Mace- this is to flatten ego

Vishnu’s Connection to Yoga Asana

Being the god of life, Vishnu has obvious connections to every school of yoga. Vishnu’s avatar Krishna though is closely tied with Bhakti yoga, or devotional yoga because to the heavy emphasis of it in the Bhagavad Gita as the quickest way to liberation and Krishna’s favorite path. Bhakti yoga could consist of calling out to the gods and goddesses in almost any way (prayer, song, offering, poetry). Vaishnavism, a tradition in Hinduism that reveres Lord Vishnu and his avatars commonly practice Bhakti yoga.

There is also a popular asana connected to Lord Vishnu’s periods of rest: Anantasana or Vishnu’s Couch. Ananta is said to be a coiled serpent that acts as a support for the universe and as a couch for Vishnu to rest on as he waits to be awakened by the great serpent for the next time the universe becomes unbalanced. To get into anantasana one lays on their side, props their head up on their hand, and keeping the hips stable, raises their leg upwards until they are able to reach their big toe.